five lifetimes, one love, fifty sentences
by tragicomedy
Summary: Moments in the blooming romance between Ichigo and Orihime.
1. five lifetimes, one love, 50 sentences

**Five Lifetimes, One Love, Fifty Sentences**

**Warnings** Spoilers for entire series, mild language and mild sexual themes.

**Disclaimer:** Not mine!

**Author's Note:** Written for the 1sentence group on LJ. Hope you enjoy it! Feedback/constructive criticism appreciated, as always!

**01 Comfort**

She stood by his side and as she watched him bow his head in front of his mother's grave, she hoped her gentle squeeze of his hand was a mild source of comfort for him.

**02 Kiss**

Their first kiss was clumsy and rushed, but Orihime knew now for sure that_this_ was what she wanted forever.

**03 Soft**

"They're such a waste on you, Ichigo! Only I could appreciate the softness of Orihime-chan's valley of the—" Ichigo knocked Kon out before he could finish that perverted line of thought.

**04 Pain**

"I want us to make so many good memories together so the pain of all the bad ones disappear…" she whispered.

**05 Potatoes**

Ichigo watched warily as Orihime cut up potatoes… followed by vanilla beans, oranges and leek.

**06 Rain**

As Ichigo held the umbrella over them, he was, for once, happy for rain to fall, giving him the perfect excuse to stand so close to her.

**07 Chocolate**

"Happy Valentine's, Kurosaki-kun!" she cried as she handed him chocolate, combined with wasabi and ginger.

**08 Happiness**

"I'm really happy because I got to spend time with you, Kurosaki-kun!" she smiled after a disastrous dinner with the Kurosakis.

**09 Telephone**

"Ohoho, Ichigo, I heard you stayed up late last night on the phone… with a girl, no less!" Isshin cackled to a blushing Ichigo.

**10 Ears**

"Eh, Ichigo, what's that?" Keigo asked before Ichigo hurriedly turned up the collar of his shirt to hide the hickey below his ear.

**11 Name**

"It's 'Orihime'… Ichigo…" Ichigo stared at her before smiling and repeating, "Orihime…"

**12 Sensual**

Contrary to popular belief and assent, Ichigo found her waist, not her breasts, the most sensual part of her body — after all, it accentuated her womanly curves, and led down to other sensual places, just for him.

**13 Death**

Ichigo broke his promise to protect his mother; he damn well wasn't going to repeat the same mistake with Orihime, even if it killed him.

**14 Sex**

Like most first times, theirs was clumsy – they simply resolved to practice more.

**15 Touch**

Even now, his slightest touch sent her tingling although, these days, they were in far more intimate areas.

**16 Weakness**

"I'll be king one day," the hollow taunted, "and I'll take everything you love — including her."

**17 Tears**

When Ichigo woke the morning after Orihime left, he could still vaguely feel her tears on his cheek.

**18 Speed**

Orihime was so excited when Ichigo took her for a walk in the park during a date — she'd finally show him who was faster in a race!

**19 Wind**

The wind whipped her hair into his face, but he couldn't have cared less as he held her against him to keep her warm.

**20 Freedom**

Orihime quietly took Ichigo's hand as they left Hueco Mundo, finally tasting the freedom she had sorely missed.

**21 Life**

"You hurt her, you die." Tatsuki threatened him one day—she knew he wouldn't have hurt her anyway, but she supposed threatening his life would only strengthen that resolve.

**22 Jealousy**

He'd had to deal with a lot of jealousy from people at school, Chizuru turning out to be one of Orihime's most dangerous suitors.

**23 Hands**

As he took her hand one day after school, he could hear the shouts of incredulity behind him, Keigo's being the loudest.

**24 Taste**

He supposed he was hanging out with her too much (or eating too much of her cooking at least) when he found her spaghetti and peanut butter dish delicious.

**25 Devotion**

Orihime loved Ichigo so much, one reason of the hundreds that she had was his pure and unadulterated devotion to his family (and maybe, one day, to her).

**26 Forever**

As he sat there, holding her hand during the annual fireworks festival, surrounded by their friends, he knew he could've stayed there forever in perfect contentment.

**27 Blood**

He caught sight of her bleeding and his temper rose with each drop of blood that fell from her beautiful face.

**28 Sickness**

"I swear this will make you feel better, Kurosaki-kun!" she said, ignoring the fact he was the son of a doctor, and began to force-feed him honey, lemon and sauerkraut.

**29 Melody**

"Kurosaki-kun has such a nice singing voice!" she gleefully told everyone, much to Ichigo's embarrassment.

**30 Star**

She looked up at the sky in Hueco Mundo and mourned the non-existence of stars to wish for his safety upon.

**31 Home**

As she stepped through the portal into Urahara-san's shop, she heard his voice from behind her — "Welcome home, Inoue."

**32 Confusion**

She had been confused about why they had all come to her rescue; Ichigo had been confused about why he had been so determined to get her back.

**33 Fear**

As she sat in her room, all alone, she lived in constant fear that someone had died to save her — Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, Renji-kun… and especially Kurosaki-kun.

**34 Lightning/Thunder**

Standing upon the Soukyoku Hill, she could clearly feel his comforting reiatsu, hidden by crackling lightning and clouds of whipped-up soil.

**35 Bonds**

His bond to her was slow to build, from the night of her brother's death to her rescue from Hueco Mundo, but it was now simply unbreakable.

**36 Market**

Ichigo volunteered to go grocery shopping Orihime as she was cooking dinner for his family — he wondered what they'd think of a meal including ramen with red bean paste and marmalade, and ice cream with tomato sauce for dessert.

**37 Technology**

"I bought this today so we can take lots of photos of us!" she pulled a brand new digital camera out of her bag then beamed at him, "Say cheese!"

**38 Gift**

"I, uh, didn't want to give it to you at school… you know, in front of everyone…" he muttered as he shoved a small, wrapped box into her hands.

**39 Smile**

Ichigo had always loved Orihime's smile — the kind where it made all the bad in the world disappear — the one that reminded him of how his mother used to smile.

**40 Innocence**

"Are they for a Halloween costume?" she asked innocently as the male shinigami showed her the handcuffs they had bought for Ichigo's birthday.

**41 Completion**

"Finished!" she exclaimed happily, holding up the blue scarf she had hand-made for his Christmas present.

**42 Clouds**

"That one looks like a robot penguin fighter!" she stated, her hand pointed towards a mass of clouds before Ichigo took it in his own.

**43 Sky**

She explained excitedly to Ichigo her dream the previous night, "And we'd go flying into the sky to save those poor ice cream dolphins; after all, they melt the closer they get to the sun!"

**44 Heaven**

"I love you." he whispered one night as he dropped her off at home —she felt this was as close to heaven as she was going to get.

**45 Hell**

Orihime had thought her entire stay in Hueco Mundo was akin to being in hell, but when she was forced to watch as Tesla approached Ichigo, she mentally revised her definition of hell where _this was it_.

**46 Sun**

Ichigo thought that, when she smiled, it felt like the warm rays of the sun, brightening up even the worst of days.

**47 Moon**

Orihime looked out her window, where the eternal crescent moon in Hueco Mundo reminded her of her last night in the real world, her last night with Ichigo.

**48 Waves**

As she played in the ocean waves, her bright hair catching and reflecting the sunlight, Ichigo thought she looked radiant.

**49 Hair**

He buried his face in her soft hair and breathed in the subtle scent of strawberries.

**50 Supernova**

Her love for him was like a supernova, starting as a quiet schoolgirl crush before exploding in powerful waves of emotion — as he heard about her capture, his anger escalated until it exploded like a supernova, where desperation overrode his logic.


	2. all's fair in love and war

**All's Fair in Love and War**

**Author's Note:** I decided to do another set because I had so much fun the first time around! I might've cheated a couple of times and it's really more than one sentence, but hey! It just means more IchiHime love!

Unfortunately, FF.N doesn't allow some of the formatting I used, so if things don't make sense, it's because the formatting screwed up (I tried to fix it up, but I might've missed a couple). So if you'd like, drop by my LJ and read it the way it was meant to be seen! XD

cindybin. livejournal. com / 1466. html# cutid1

[Just get rid of all the spaces

Either way, I hope you enjoy the fic!

**Warnings:** Spoilers for entire series, mild language and mild sexual themes.

**01 Walking**

Ichigo noticed she was walking a little behind him — he slowed down and, for good measure, took her hand to make she walked by his side.

**02 Waltz**

"Come on, Kurosaki-kun!" she laughed, pulling forward a reluctant Ichigo to dance in the rain.

**03 Wishes**

As Orihime stood over Ichigo that night, she wished so much that he would wake up and tell her not to go, that everything would be alright — reality always hurt.

**04 Wonder**

Ichigo's eyes opened wide in wonder the first time he saw Orihime naked — he finally knew what Kon and Chizuru were on about.

**05 Worry**

Ichigo hadn't ever been able to pinpoint exactly why he worried about Orihime so much more than everyone else — he didn't understand until she took his hand on the way home and his stomach did a flip.

**06 Whimsy**

"The super chocolate bunny dusters are going to fight the jelly sea horses!" Orihime exclaimed excitedly to Ichigo, who merely smiled at her usual flights of whimsy.

**07 Waste/Wasteland**

"Hime's first look of ecstasy will be wasted on you!" Chizuru, ever the sore loser, told Ichigo.

**08 Whiskey and Rum**

For all the fuss Ikkaku and Renji made about drinking, he didn't think it even came close to the feeling he had when he was around Orihime.

**09 War**

Ichigo knew that if he ever saw Aizen again, he'd kill him for taking Orihime — after all, all's fair in love and war.

**10 Weddings**

The day they get married, they both wished one other person was there with them, she her brother, he his mother.

**11 Birthday**

"Ta-da!" Orihime uncovered Ichigo's birthday cake, a chocolate cake topped with mustard and tuna.

**12 Blessing**

While Orihime was in the kitchen preparing some of her 'special sandwiches', Ichigo approached her brother's shrine and asked for his blessing to be with her.

**13 Bias**

Orihime thought Ichigo was much more handsome than any of the big celebrities currently going around (not that she was biased or anything).

**14 Burning**

Sometimes she felt her love for him was so strong, she was going to burn out — she was very pleased to be proven wrong.

**15 Breathing**

Orihime propped her head on her hand as she watched Ichigo sleep soundly, listening to the deep evenness of his breathing.

**16 Breaking**

Orihime felt her heart and resolve break a little each time Rukia pulled Ichigo away (to make out, other people used to say).

**17 Belief**

As Orihime looked into (Ichigo's) the hollow's eyes during the fight with Grimmjow, she had to keep reminding herself that it was _him_ and not some monster, that he was going to win and take her away from here.

**18 Balloon**

The first time he kissed her, it was like a great big balloon of happiness was expanding in her belly until she couldn't breathe.

**19 Balcony**

"You don't make a great Juliet, I'll tell you!" Ichigo complained as Orihime greeted him with a water balloon thrown down from her apartment balcony.

**20 Bane**

Ichigo thought Chizuru and Keigo were well on their way to becoming banes of his existence every time they followed them on their dates.

**21 Quiet**

It had been uncomfortably quiet that day in the clinic—the only sounds were the soft sobs of an auburn-haired girl who had just lost her brother; the orange-haired boy could only pat her awkwardly on the shoulder.

**22 Quirks**

Ichigo had always thought she was a little spacey with hundreds of quirks—the more time he spent with her, the less he noticed them; after all, there were so many more interesting and beautiful things about Inoue Orihime rather than how many times she brushed her teeth a day (for the record, it's four times).

**23 Question**

Orihime had never had to ask Ichigo whether he loved her or not — he made it clear every time he looked at her.

**24 Quarrel**

They only ever quarrel about stupid things, like what went better in pumpkin soup, croutons or marshmallows (they usually agree to disagree, unless Ichigo lets her win).

**25 Quitting**

"You should just get over him, Orihime, a big-breasted beauty like you could do so much better!" — Orihime was glad she never took that particular piece of advice.

**26 Jump**

Although unspoken, it was clear that their relationship revolved around the saying 'you jump, I jump'—there wasn't anything one wasn't willing to do to save or help the other.

**27 Jester**

"Kurosaki-kun's funny faces always make me laugh!"

**28 Jousting**

He supposed fighting the Espada with Zangetsu was as close as he was going to get to the old-fashioned days of jousting for a lady's honour, and damn it, he wasn't going to lose — for Orihime's sake!

**29 Jewel**

Like a polished jewel, Orihime shone brightly having overcome all the adversity thrown at her — it was one of the reasons Ichigo held her so dear.

**30 Just**

Some girls spoke about how they wanted flowers and chocolates and jewellery for Valentine's and birthdays—Orihime was happy with just Ichigo and all the time they'd spend together.

**31 Smirk**

Sometimes when they were alone together, Ichigo would smirk to himself thinking _Keigo and Chizuru would die to be me right now._

**32 Sorrow**

When Orihime got taken away, Ichigo felt sorrow deep in his heart, one he hadn't felt since he lost his mother that night in June.

**33 Stupidity**

When he found out how long she had liked him for, Ichigo cursed his own stupidity for missing out on those precious extra months with her.

**34 Serenade**

No matter how much she complimented him afterwards, Ichigo vowed never to sing in public again (and never play poker — if only he hadn't lost that damn bet to Renji!)

**35 Sarcasm**

"Yeah, Ichigo, the only reason you're here to save Inoue is because you missed her cooking!"

**36 Sordid**

There was nothing sordid about their relationship (or so they told people).

**37 Soliloquy**

"I… I love you, Orihime…" he practiced, not realising she had come up behind him.

**38 Sojourn**

As much as Aizen and the Espada tried to keep her there, Orihime knew her stay in Hueco Mundo was merely temporary — Ichigo was definitely going to rescue her and take her away!

**39 Share**

When Kon suggested they share Orihime ("You know, to spice things up for her!"), Ichigo bashed the plushie to a pulp for even _thinking_ it.

**40 Solitary**

Ichigo imagined Orihime, a solitary figure in that huge castle, held there against her wishes… he increased his speed across the desert of Hueco Mundo, determined to be by her side.

**41 Nowhere**

They went nowhere that day — spending time alone in her apartment was all they were after.

**42 Neutral**

When Orihime first arrived in Hueco Mundo, she could only see in neutral colours, blacks, whites and greys; when she felt Ichigo's reiatsu, her world re-exploded into technicolour.

**43 Nuance**

Orihime realised it was the little things, the subtle nuances in his behaviour towards her that spoke the loudest to reveal how he felt about her.

**44 Near**

No matter how close he got to her that night, it just wasn't near enough — that is until they were alone in bed together.

**45 Natural**

Orihime loved how everything was so easy with him — that he talked to her, held her, kissed her and made love to her like they were the most natural things in the world.

**46 Horizon**

She hadn't seen the sun for days on end, but when Ichigo volunteered to watch the sunrise with her, she knew her eyes wouldn't be on the sun peeking over the horizon come morning.

**47 Valiant**

She looked down in horror at Ichigo, robes torn and body bruised, battered and bloodied—if he was going to fight valiantly for her, she was damn well going to try just as hard for him.

**48 Virtuous**

Ichigo cringed at some of the sexual innuendo his friends made… then sweat-dropped when Orihime failed to cotton on to their implications.

**49 Victory**

There was no doubt in his mind that it was because of Orihime, and only because of her, that he managed to defeat Grimmjow — there was no way he could lose after hearing that.

**50 Defeat**

As Tesla and impending defeat approached, he could only think of her and _damn, he couldn't save her!_


	3. falling or flying

Originally posted on LJ, sorry if the formatting is a bit funny, FF.N doesn't tend to like me. =(

* * *

**|01| Ring**

Sometimes she thought could hear the distant ring of swords clashing, of (her) Ichigo coming to save her.

**|02| Hero**

He'd always pictured he'd be the hero, the one to get her out of here, but as Ulquiorra left him to die, he'd never felt less of one in his life.

**|03| Memory**

She could remember everything about that night—the weight of Sora's body, the smell and dampness of his blood and, perhaps more pleasantly, the weight of Ichigo's hand on her shoulder and his distinct scent.

**|04| Box**

"Uhhh, I tried to wrap it, but it didn't really work out…" he muttered sheepishly and she excitedly accepted the box from him, shaking it to see if she could guess what was inside.

**|05| Run**

All Ichigo could think was _run faster_—the faster he got to the end of that long, long tunnel, the sooner he'd see her smiling face again.

**|06| Hurricane**

Orihime didn't mind that her apartment looked like a hurricane hit it with their clothes all over her the place, she just wanted to get themselves out of them!

**|07| Wings**

Love might not give you literal wings, but Orihime felt that the figurative ones might be enough to set her soaring anyway.

**|08| Cold**

She shivered slightly so Ichigo shrugged out of his jacket and placed it over her shoulders; his body heat and affection warmed her right down to the tips of her toes.

**|09| Red**

When Ulquiorra told him that he had been the one to bring her here, all he could see was red and he lashed out.

**|10| Drink**

She took the warm drink he offered her, the warmth set her every nerve tingling… or maybe it had been that he had been so close to her.

**|11| Midnight**

The closer midnight and Ulquiorra approached, the more she wished she could've stay by Ichigo's side.

**|12| Temptation**

When she went off on her tangents, her mouth was so captivating — Ichigo figured _why resist temptation? _and kissed her.

**|13| View**

He wasn't sure when his view on Orihime had shifted from _friends_ to _somuchmore_, but he figured it didn't matter at all.

**|14| Music**

Orihime's laughter was like music to his ears, especially when he was the one who made her laugh.

**|15| Silk**

Orihime bought a new set of silk sheets — she figured Ichigo would be glad to help her break them in after dinner that night.

**|16| Cover**

Ichigo figured he'd hide his newfound feelings for her behind the reasoning of _she's our friend, we have to save her_ — he didn't realise his cover had been blown the second he said it.

**|17| Promise**

'_I'll get stronger and then, next time, I'll definitely protect you!'_ Orihime knew he was on his way to keep that promise.

**|18| Dream**

Orihime had dreamt a lot about their first kiss, first date, first time — reality was always so much better.

**|19| Candle**

He was right to set up a romantic candlelit dinner for them — he'd never seen her look so beautiful.

**|20| Talent**

When Ichigo complained about not having any particular talents ("Pulling funny faces doesn't count, Orihime!"), Orihime led him to the bedroom, determined to prove him wrong.

**|21| Silence**

Orihime had been jealous of the fact that Rukia could speak so easily with him; what she didn't realise was that he was perfectly content to enjoy her company in silence.

**|22| Journey**

The journey to Hueco Mundo was infinitely different to the one to Soul Society because _she_ was missing.

**|23| Fire**

Ichigo put out the small fire in the kitchen and then tried to comfort a tearful Orihime — "And I'm usually so good at cooking!"

**|24| Strength**

She'd been crying when she told him not to die; he wasn't going to, and he was going to get stronger — stronger to protect her, stronger so she wouldn't need to cry for him anymore.

**|25| Mask**

"It's Kurosaki-kun…" she repeated to herself, determined to see the man she loved so much past the mask and past those soulless eyes.

**|26| Ice**

"I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-kun!" she flitted around her kitchen until she managed to get an ice pack together for his eye — she thought with all his karate training, he would've ducked!

**|27| Fall**

She had broken his fall that time on Soukyoku Hill and, even though he had a splitting headache afterwards, he thought it was infinitely nicer than the alternative of falling on the ground all alone.

**|28| Forgotten**

Orihime wondered if the same thing would happen to her when Rukia had gone back to Soul Society, with everyone forgetting she existed — the thought that he'd forget all about her made her cry until she was all out of tears.

**|29| Dance**

Ichigo enjoyed watching her dance freely to the music… until she tried to pull him up to join in.

**|30| Body**

Orihime appreciated the fact that, unlike people who couldn't see past her ample chest, he loved her entirely, body, mind and soul.

**|31| Sacred**

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kurosaki-kun!" she kissed him on the cheek dressed as Cupid, but once he pulled the stupid bow and arrow away from her, she simply looked like an angel.

**|32| Farewells**

Saying goodbye was the hardest thing she'd had to do; not having a chance to say goodbye to her ate at his insides.

**|33| World**

'_You cannot weigh up the life of one person against the fate of the world'_ — damn right, because Ichigo knew he would always pick her.

**|34| Formal**

"Kurosaki-kun looks so handsome in a suit!" she complimented, fixing up his tie; Ichigo continued to squirm.

**|35| Fever**

She blushed as he stepped closer to her and pressed a hand to her forehead; "What's the matter? Have you got a fever?"

**|36| Laugh**

Orihime used to think he rarely laughed, but when she considered how much he laughed with her, she amended that thought — maybe not enough people told him about the sugar bunnies and cloud dragons!

**|37| Lies**

She'd already resolved to use her power to destroy the Hougyoku, she'd already decided to lie to him to get him to leave without her, but when she saw his face, she knew she couldn't do it.

**|38| Forever**

Ichigo couldn't agree with her more when she said, "I'm going to love you forever."

**|39| Overwhelmed**

When she discovered he felt that same away about her, she felt the greatest sense of overwhelming joy before she hugged him tightly.

**|40| Whisper**

As he lay next to her one night, her body curled up against his, he kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "I love you."

**|41| Wait**

After spending his entire time in Hueco Mundo waiting, Ichigo couldn't hold back anymore and the first moment they got alone together, he confessed before kissing her.

**|42| Talk**

When Isshin said after dinner one night that he needed to talk to Ichigo and Orihime together, Ichigo grabbed her hand and ran away ("Ohoho, my son is getting an early start without my help! That's my boy!")

**|43| Search**

If he hadn't loved her back, and she had to search for someone else she could love just as much, she thought she would've spent her whole life looking.

**|44| Hope**

Even as she sat in her room alone, she never gave up hope that he'd they'd come to rescue her.

**|45| Eclipse**

The desire to rescue her and see her again eclipsed any sliver of logic Ichigo might have had about their mission.

**|46| Gravity**

Ichigo doesn't fully appreciate the gravity of the situation until Orihime pulls him into bed with her.

**|47| Highway**

"We're lost! How exciting! The super monkeys might come out now to fight with us!" Ichigo wished he'd stopped for directions when he had the chance.

**|48| Unknown**

It was unfamiliar, unknown territory for the both of them, but they figured they'd muddle their way through it together.

**|49| Lock**

"You know, Ichi-nii, you should really lock your door if you plan on bringing your girlfriend over!"

**|50| Breathe**

When he saw her lying there, hair shimmering, face flushed and body glistening in the moonlight, Ichigo has to remind himself to breathe.


	4. make love, not war

**|01| Air**

Everything about him left such an impact on her; the feel of his skin, the softness of his lips, and the indefinable scent he left in the air.

**|02| Apples**

"Hmmm…" she says as she watches _Death Note_ with Ichigo, "I reckon those shinigami apples need some wasabi!" Ichigo decided not to tell her that wasabi could hardly make sand taste any better than it did.

**|03| Beginning**

"This is Kurosaki Ichigo." she could remember Tatsuki's introduction like it was yesterday; after all, it's hard to forget something like meeting the love of your life (and of all your lives after).

**|04| Bugs **

Sora used to be able to get the fireflies to sit right on the tip of his finger; she was pleasantly surprised to discover Ichigo had the same skill.

**|05| Coffee**

After a long night of (not so much) talking, they both needed a cup of coffee the morning after.

**|06| Dark**

When the lights went out during her bath, Orihime had gasped in surprise; when she saw Ichigo approach in candlelight, she thought who was she to deny her boyfriend a nice warm bath?

**|07| Despair**

Orihime was a happy person by nature, even when she had been brought to Hueco Mundo, she tried to make the best of a bad situation, but even she couldn't help but despair when an exhausted Ichigo fought Tesla.

**|08| Doors**

They had agreed to keep all their action behind closed doors (unless they were in the mood for some in the kitchen… or the bathroom…)

**|09| Drink**

He drunk in the sight of her bathed in moonlight and he couldn't imagine anything more beautiful.

**|10| Duty**

Ichigo had rescued Rukia because he felt obliged to repay her; he saved Orihime because he needed to make sure she was safe.

**|11| Earth**

"Just wait, Kurosaki-kun, the aliens will attack the Earth, and we'll beat them all back with cabbage bombs!"

**|12| End**

When all was said and done, he wanted to be with her, simple as that.

**|13| Fall**

Orihime reasoned that the more and more she fell in love with him, the more it would hurt when she hit the ground — luckily, Ichigo was there to catch her.

**|14| Fire**

She can still remember the fire of determination in his eyes when he swore to protect her — it gives her comfort on some of those long lonely nights.

**|15| Flexible**

She knew he was trying to change a little for her, trying to become a little more easygoing and flexible, but she loved him so much, just the way he was.

**|16| Flying**

She was on Ichigo's shoulder, held in place by her waist; as he brought her and Nel back down to earth, it felt like she was flying.

**|17| Food**

She lay out a tray of chocolate, strawberries, honey and ice cubes, just to spice things up.

**|18| Foot**

She always thought Ichigo's feet were slightly cold and, as a member of the Handicraft Club, she decided it was her duty to make him some socks.

**|19| Grave**

Ichigo felt he was intruding, but she held his hand as she stood in front of her brother's grave and stopped him from leaving.

**|20| Green**

Ichigo thinks her green yutaka compliments her beautifully, highlighting the precious green hairpins in her hair.

**|21| Head**

Ichigo was very glad they hadn't accidentally head-butted each other in bed; he figured it would've entire ruined the mood (as well as giving him a huge headache.)

**|22| Hollow**

When his inner hollow threatened to hurt her if he ever got control, Ichigo felt his resolve strengthen to push that bastard as far down as he'd go.

**|23| Honour**

Ichigo knew he had to get her back, had to prove her innocence, had to defend her honour in front of those crusty shinigami idiots.

**|24| Hope**

While she loved having people over for dinner, she hoped they all went home soon so she finally have him all to herself.

**|25| Light**

Ichigo liked to make love to her with the lights off, where the softness of her skin, the heat of her body and her intoxicating scent set him off.

**|26| Lost**

She fell onto the bed, lost in the feel of his lips and his breath on her skin, fingers teasing her to ecstasy.

**|27| Metal**

He's fighting Grimmjow but he can still hear her shout of encouragement over the clang of sword on sword.

**|28| New**

What he was feeling at the moment was totally new, butterflies in the stomach and a hesitancy to go near her, but when she told him she felt the same way, he figured that, while it was new, it wasn't unwelcome.

**|29| Old**

He's probably kissed her hundreds, thousands of times, but she knows the feel of his lips on hers will never get old.

**|30| Peace**

"I really like it here," she whispered while Ichigo stroked her hair, her head lying in his lap.

**|31| Poison**

Not wanting to hurt her feelings, he accepted her concoction of yoghurt, soy sauce and flour ("To thicken the soup!"), praying it wouldn't be his last meal.

**|32| Pretty**

"She's rather pretty, isn't she?" Ichigo thought he hadn't heard a bigger understatement in his life.

**|33| Rain**

"Just stay out here a little longer!" Ichigo thought she had been insane for wanting to stay out in the rain… until she began peeling her clothes off inside her apartment, inviting him to do the same.

**|34| Regret**

She had regretted not saying goodbye to her brother that day; she was thankful that Ichigo gave her the chance to.

**|35| Roses**

They walked into her apartment, red and white rose petals leading the way to the bedroom; Rukia and Renji grinned and, on their way out, told them to keep it down or else they'd disturb the neighbours.

**|36| Secret**

Tatsuki had been sworn to secrecy regarding Orihime's crush on Ichigo — she didn't know why, Orihime made it abundantly clear without her help.

**|37| Snakes**

"Damn it!" Ichigo swore — why did he get all the snakes, and Orihime get all the ladders?

**|38| Snow**

"Rawrrr!" Ichigo barely had time to turn before Orihime tackle-hugged him, both of them falling onto the soft white snow.

**|39| Solid**

She had burst into tears in front of Sora's grave, grateful for Ichigo's solid form and comforting arms.

**|40| Spring**

"Doesn't this remind you of Byakuya-san?" the last thing Ichigo wanted to think about during a romantic walk with her under the cherry blossoms was _Byakuya_!

**|41| Stable**

It didn't matter what jealous people like Chizuru said, their relationship was so strong and stable, it could resist anything.

**|42| Strange**

Right before they finally got together, people gossiped about the strange aura they were exuding; their friends, of course, knew better.

**|43| Summer**

"Check out those melons!" Ichigo knocked Keigo into the sand before he realised Orihime and Tatsuki had brought some watermelons for breaking.

**|44| Taboo**

Ichigo couldn't bring himself to care that some of the things they do might be considered taboo; after all, they felt so _right_.

**|45| Ugly**

Ichigo always feels that, compared to her clear porcelain skin, he, with his scars and bruises, will always be ugly; Orihime tells him differently.

**|46| War**

_Make Love, Not War_ her T-shirt had said—Ichigo thought it was very good advice and pulled Orihime into the bedroom.

**|47| Water**

Ichigo was enjoying his shower but when he felt her arms circle his waist, he smiled; seemed it was about to get even better.

**|48| Welcome**

"Hiiiiii, Orihime-chaaaaaaaaan!" all the Kurosakis are crammed into the door frame grinning and, while Ichigo groans in embarrassment, Orihime appreciates the warm welcome into this loving family.

**|49| Winter**

"It's dot fuddy, I'b sick!" Ichigo complained; Orihime giggled and kissed him on the tip of his very red nose, "You look like Rudolph!"

**|50| Wood**

Ichigo sat next to the campfire with Orihime; when she eventually drifted off, he carefully picked her up, tucked her into her sleeping bag and kissed her goodnight.


	5. worth the wait

**|01| Motion**

Even though she was terrified at the thought of him getting more hurt than he already was, in a far corner of her mind, she appreciated the grace with which he fought and moved.

**|02| Cool**

She placed the sunglasses on his face and smiled sweetly, "Kurosaki-kun looks so cool! Like a spy!"

**|03| Young**

"Oh, young love is so wonderful!" Isshin sniffed before being thrown out by a blushing Ichigo.

**|04| Last**

Renji and Ishida had called him an idiot for not noticing how she felt about him and, while he regretted not realising sooner, he figured it was better for him to be _thelasttoknow_ rather than for her to be _theonetogetaway_.

**|05| Wrong**

Orihime had never been so happy to be wrong about something as when she found out that Rukia and Ichigo _weren't_ a couple.

**|06| Gentle**

She'd always thought he'd be gruff and slightly rough around the edges, but when he held her or spoke to her, she was always pleasantly surprised by his gentleness.

**|07| One**

She knew there was only one person in the world for her; it was just such a shame he was also one of the densest boys she knew.

**|08| Thousand**

She could think of at least a thousand reasons why she'd believe in him, protect him, wait for him, and love him.

**|09| King**

Though he knows he's technically a king (and thankfully not a horse), he doesn't feel like it until she smiles at him.

**|10| Learn**

Ichigo was grateful for all the things Orihime taught him about life and love (and walking into her bedroom without knocking.)

**|11| Blur**

His fight with Grimmjow had felt like a blur of blood and taunts and swords, a blur where only her voice could break through the haze to clear his vision.

**|12| Wait**

It had taken a while for him to notice, but the first time he held her hand and smiled at her, she knew he had totally been worth the wait.

**|13| Change**

He had been worried about how their relationship would change, but on their first date, Orihime had smiled the same, eaten the same crazy foods and talked about the same crazy things; at the end of the night, she kissed him on the cheek and Ichigo decided he could deal with _these_ types of changes.

**|14| Command**

"Don't die, Kurosaki-kun!" he figures she asks so little of him, he'd better fulfil this one request.

**|15| Hold**

It felt like the first time in years since she'd seen him in the flesh and she had to push down the desire to throw her arms around him.

**|16| Need**

He hadn't realised how much he enjoyed her company, how much he needed her in his life until she was gone.

**|17| Vision**

She'd had an awful dream where he died on his way to save her; she prayed with all her heart that it wouldn't come true.

**|18| Attention**

He's pretty dense and ignorant sometimes, but she'll always effortlessly grab and hold his attention.

**|19| Soul**

Just like he swore to save Rukia, he swore on his soul to protect her.

**|20| Picture**

Isshin smiled at pictures on his son's wall — his family, his friends, and photo of him and a very pretty auburn-haired girl.

**|21| Fool**

"So do you love him?" Ulquiorra asked her; when she made no reply, he read into the silence and scoffed, "You're a fool, no one's coming to save you."

**|22| Mad**

Whether she means to or not, she drives him crazy.

**|23| Child**

She sees the nurturing way he dotes on Nel and she smiles; Ichigo will make a wonderful father one day.

**|24| Now**

Orihime had always been a patient girl, but in Hueco Mundo, she wanted to be let out _now_, she wanted to save Rukia _now_, she wanted to see _him now_!

**|25| Shadow**

She looks down at their shadows on the concrete and smiles; she knows she'll never walk alone again.

**|26| Goodbye**

She hated saying goodbye — it felt like she was never coming back, like she'd never see him them again.

**|27| Hide**

They thought they'd try and hide their relationship for a little while, just until things got resettled, but the way they smiled at each other gave them away instantly.

**|28| Fortune**

As he looks down at this girl, this wonderful, beautiful girl who could have anyone she wanted, he smiles at his own good fortune that _somehow_ she fell in love with _him_.

**|29| Safe**

Ichigo always tried so hard to keep her safe; she decided now was the time to return the favour.

**|30| Ghost**

When she disappeared, he felt like a ghost of who he was, a lost soul waiting for her to come back and complete him again.

**|31| Book**

She'd pictured the rescue they'd attempt, like princes in fairy tales, where Ichigo was the main hero in shinigami robes and a superhero cape (made by Ishida-kun, of course).

**|32| Eye**

She was used to watching him out of the corner of her eye; one day, she was surprised to notice that he watched her, too.

**|33| Never**

No matter how much all of them had gone through, she knew she'd never want to go back to knowing nothing about this world; it's all thanks to it that she got to know Ichigo so well.

**|34| Sing**

Orihime giggled to herself when she heard Ichigo singing in the shower.

**|35| Sudden**

It really hit him suddenly, the realisation that he loved her.

**|36| Stop**

Ulquiorra taunted her, made fun of her friends and all she could think was _stop stop stop, don't say he's dead!_

**|37| Time**

"There's no rush now," she smiled at him once they both got back, safe and sound, "We've got forever."

**|38| Wash**

Ichigo pulled out a pile of pink shirts before turning to Orihime who sheepishly pulled out her red lace bra.

**|39| Torn**

She was torn between her decision to destroy the Hougyoku and her desire to stay by his side.

**|40| History**

He yawned, flipping through his history book before he noticed her neat handwriting on the cover page and he smiled; '_love you, Ichigo'_.

**|41| Power**

He'd gained a lot of power since the first time they met but, to her, he would always just be Kurosaki Ichigo, the guy who could pull a funny face and make her laugh.

**|42| Bother**

He'd thought _why bother?_ at one point during his quest to save Rukia; the thought never even came close to materialising during Orihime's rescue.

**|43| God**

They don't believe in God, but sometimes He's all they can call out to in the throes of ecstasy.

**|44| Wall**

It was an interesting feeling, her back pressed against the cold wall, his body pressed to hers, but a new sensation overrode it when he pressed his lips to hers urgently.

**|45| Naked**

He'd seen quite a lot of both Yoruichi and Rangiku's bodies, but the first time he saw Orihime naked, he thought that she put them to shame.

**|46| Drive**

There were a lot of things pushing him forward but the strongest driving force was the need to know she was safe.

**|47| Harm**

When he saw her worried face hovering over his, his first thought was _she's okay, she's not hurt_.

**|48| Precious**

She thinks her hairpins are the embodiment of all that is precious to her, given to her by her beloved brother and the power within them given by the love of her life.

**|49| Hunger**

Ichigo wondered just how hungry he was after glancing warily at Orihime's dish of ramen in chocolate sauce.

**|50| Believe**

He hadn't believed for a second she had betrayed them; deep down, she believed that he'd come to save her, no matter what.


End file.
